You are just short of the finishing line, so you shoot up into the wind. Your bow pokes over the line, then the boat stops and drifts back to the course side. Have you finished, or must you cross again?

Question

Accepted Answer

You have finished. Under the definition of Finish, a boat finishes when, after her starting signal, any part of her hull crosses the finishing line from the course side. Her bow is part of her hull, so Blue finished the moment it crossed. The definition also says she need not cross the finishing line completely, so drifting back does not undo the finish. She is still racing until she clears the line and marks (definition Racing), so the right-of-way rules still apply and she must not touch the mark. She would not have finished only if, after crossing, she took a penalty under Rule 44.2, corrected an error in sailing the course made at the line, or continued to sail the course.

You are just short of the finishing line, so you shoot up into the wind. Your bow pokes over the line, then the boat stops and drifts back to the course side. Have you finished, or must you cross again?

Go deeper: books and gear

Next on this shelf — The Finish

You Finish At The Line — Limit Marks Have No Required Side (Case 58)

When You Can Cross the Finish Line Either Way (Case 82)

Two Ways to Lose a Finish (Case 128)